A project for the creation of a 1-million-euro crocodile park in Cyprus has been foiled after strong opposition by local people and environmentalist groups, a statement said on Wednesday.

The statement by the Achna village local council said it voted on Tuesday night to withdraw support for the creation of the park by Israeli TSA Crocopark firm because of public opposition to the project.

It said that six of its members voted for the scrapping of the project while two supported it.

The local council of the economically depressed village had originally voted for the creation of the crocodile park, which would host 100 crocodiles and would also boast a souvenir shop, a canteen and walking paths in a forested area, much of which forms a lake.

Environmentalists and other groups, including agricultural organizations and the state University of Cyprus, plus a large section of the local population, objected to the project on the grounds that it would need too much water which would be a big burden on the meagre water supplies available for the village.

They also said that it would potentially be a source of mosquitoes and infection with the deadly West Nile virus hosted by crocodiles.

Two other communities in the area had before rejected the proposal.